


Wave Form

by anna_thema



Series: Sapphic Resonance [4]
Category: Control (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Flirting, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Science Lesbians, Useless Lesbians
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:40:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28227792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anna_thema/pseuds/anna_thema
Summary: It's Emily Pope's first field experience with the Bureau, as Jesse heads a team investigating an Altered World Event on the ocean.
Relationships: Jesse Faden/Emily Pope
Series: Sapphic Resonance [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1681960
Comments: 2
Kudos: 36





	Wave Form

It's cold. That's the first thing Emily Pope thinks about being in the field. It's frigging cold. She supposes she should have expected as much, Alaska is a far cry from the FBC in New York. Beside her, her girlfriend blows into her hands and stomps her feet.

“You'd think our contact would have been here by now.” Jesse Faden remarks. The janitors assistant and sometimes Director of the bureau has never been one to go by the book, but she had insisted that Emily pass basic training before her first field op. Currently, they're on assignment looking into a possible Altered World Event (AWE) in the Bering Sea, which involves taking a commandeered fishing trawler out to an abandoned oil tanker. Apparently it's appeared out of nowhere, matching the description of one lost more than 50 years ago. Unfortunately, requisition requests around here move about as slowly as the glaciers that surround them.

Behind them are scattered half a dozen Rangers in various states of relaxation on the docks. Jesse elected to take a skeleton crew with her, but she did insist on heading up this mission herself. It is after all, their first FBC investigation since the Hiss. The first time the FBC has gotten it's feet wet in the outside world.

Emily shivers, and Jesse wraps her hands around her from behind, snuggling up against her to warm her. They've never officially announced their relationship to the FBC, though many have soon guessed. The other week Emily was walking into Jesse's office and got a thumbs up from a woman in the Panopticon she'd never met before. Emily turns to face Jesse, giving her a quick kiss before disengaging and turning to scan the harbor once more. A small fishing boat has detached itself from the ocean waves and is puttering its way towards them.

“Looks like our ride's here.” Emily gestures at the boat, and the rangers behind them start getting their collective shit together. Looking back out at the boat, Emily feels a familiar ping of excitement in her gut. This is always her favorite part of research. Right before diving into a mystery, with all the possibilities and hypotheses laid out before her. To be actually here in the field for it is even better. Beside her, Jesse squeezes her hand.

The boat arrives at the dock and the captain gets out wordlessly. He grunts at the assembled rangers, before getting out and yielding the helm to a ranger. The rest of the team clambers into the boat, after Jesse pulls out an envelope and gives it to the boat captain. The exchange completed, the captain walks back up the pier towards the town. One advantage to working with the FBC: government funding. This rather shady deal concluded, Jesse joins Emily in the boat, exchanging a few words with the driver before climbing astern.

"All set?" Jesse calls out to the crew, who nod in various signals of assent. The boat lurches forward, and Emily stumbles, nearly falling before Jesse catches her, finding herself inches from her face.

"My hero." Emily says wryly, though Jesse still blushes as they get underway. The pilot steers them out of the harbor and into the open ocean. Still curling herself in Jesse's protective gasp, Emily gazes out at the surging ocean. As far as AWE's went, a randomly appearing boat seemed pretty tame. Nevertheless, Emily feels a feeling of trepidation as the land falls behind and the ocean waves rise in front of them. She shivers in a way that had nothing to do with the cold.

***

The ride out isn't long, as distances go around here. Still, it's at least eight hours of sailing to get to their destination, and none of it is in calm waters. Jesse, who after all can levitate and dash at dizzying speeds, finds her sea legs fairly quickly. Emily isn't so lucky.

“Emily?” Jesse's voice floats down the stairs and into their cramped cabins. Emily groans.

“Ugh, in here.” She sits hunched over the trash can, hurriedly wiping her mouth as Jesse comes in the room.

Jesse makes her way over to her and sits down by the bed.

“Feeling any better?”

“A bit. I think I lost all of my breakfast though.” She croaks out.

Jesse's face is concerned, and even though she must have a hundred other things demanding her attention, all of that laser focus is directed at Emily right now. She rubs Emily's back soothingly, and pulls her close. Emily manages a weak smile.

“Bet you're regretting bringing such a rookie like me out here, huh?” She jokes. Jesse shakes her head.

“Nah, you're doing great. Laura, the ranger captain? She's tossing her cookies overboard as we speak. Anyway,” Her voice takes on a softer tone. “there's no one I'd rather be out here with. You're our best scientist and” She kisses her “my girlfriend.”.

Emily smiles, and leans against Jesse. She must look a wreck, but she feels much better. There are times when she feels inadequate even now, but Jesse always makes her feel special. She snuggles against Jesse and somehow ends up horizontal in their bunk. It's in no way big enough for the both of them, but Jesse lies down next to her and they curl up together for a bit. Emily drifts off at some point, eventually waking up to the sound of the intercom going off.

“Director Faden? You might want to see this.”

Beside her, Jesse starts a wake, the Service Weapon immediately appearing in her hand. She dashes over to the cabin intercom, all business, all focus.

“Faden here, what's going on?”

The crackly voice of the ranger responds, and Emily feels a chill in her bones.

“Our scout plane just sighted the boat Director, we'll be there within the hour.”

Jesse sighs, and Emily sees her centering herself, preparing mentally for the challenge ahead.

“I'll be right there.”

***

From far away, the boat doesn't look like much. It appears outwardly normal, with no trace of any damage on it's hull. This strikes Emily as odd, given the supposed age of the vessel. It was called in by a crab fisherman, and after running it through the ship registry, it was discovered the vessel had been lost at sea over 50 years ago. Yet here it is, the ship's name proudly displayed on the side of the hull: _Triton's Tomb_. There's something else off about it, something Emily can't quite put her finger on. Maybe it's the way the ship seems unmoved by the waves, it's massive hull static in the water. She makes a note on her already crowded pad of paper.

“Do we have GPS coordinates of the boat's location?” She asks out loud in the bridge. This is what she's here to do. She will find the answers the Bureau needs.

“Yes ma'am.” One of the bridge techs replies, tilting a computer monitor towards her. Emily copies down the numbers.

“Ok, any response on the radio?”

“No ma'am, and the chopper reports no signs of life on board.” Emily makes another series of notes, then pulls up the schematics reported for the ship.

“Alright, I think we've got all the data we're going to collect from here. I think what we need to do now is get in closer. That is,” she glances at Jesse, who's watching her with a pleased expression on her face. “If you feel up for some action.”

Jesse smiles, and gives her a nod. It feels good to be working like this, as a team.

“Couldn't agree more Emily, let's poke this thing a bit.” She walks over to the bridge intercom system.

“This is the Director. We've sighted our objective and approaching to dock. Rangers, prepare for contact.”

***

As they draw closer, the bulk of the ship becomes more apparent compared to their smaller commandeered trawler. Emily watches with apprehension as they draw closer and Jesse and the ranger teams start suiting up. She hates this part. She hates watching Jesse go of, preparing to throw herself into certain danger, and there's nothing she can do. It's part of why she made such an effort to complete her field training, she just couldn't stand imagining Jesse in some forgotten corner of the oldest house, alone and in danger.

They finally pull up along side the mystery ship and the engines rev with the effort of keeping them from slamming against it. Emily snaps out of her reverie as Jesse and the rangers prepare to fasten them to the other ship. Jesse launches into the air and floats to the deck of the other boat, trailing mooring lines and buoys to provide a bit of a cushion. She's wearing her trademark leather jacket, though at Emily's insistence she has donned a life preserver. Emily's own live jacket reminds her uncomfortably of an HRA, but it still beats drowning.

With the two vessels properly docked, the rest of the rangers file quickly across the gangplank and onto the deck. All of them are equipped with Bureau issued rifles, They quickly fan out over the deck, sweeping for threats, and the radio crackles to life.

“Faden here. We're going to do a sweep of the boat. After we've secured that there are no active threats, we'll give the science team the go ahead. Out.”

“Ten four Jesse, we'll await your signal.” Emily replies, then turns to the bridge technician.

“Tell the rest of the research team to get ready. Standard preparation, like we practiced. That means Geiger counters, infra red cams, the works. Also prep a control point kit, in case of dimensional abnormalities.”

“Yes ma'am.” The tech scurries below decks to relay her orders, and Emily does her best to compose herself before following to don her gear.

When the ranger team radios back no active threats, Emily breathes a sigh of relief she didn't know she'd been holding in. Jesse greets her at the gangplank, and the brief touch they share lingers a bit longer than strictly necessary. Emily suspects Jesse knows how much she worries, and tries to make up for it. At least she went in with backup this time.

“All clear Pope, safe enough for you eggheads to get to work.” Jesse's smile is teasing.

Emily bristles in mock indignation. “Us 'eggheads', I'll have you know, are the backbone of the FBC's mission to understand the unknown. Now go off and let the scientists get to work.”

Jesse jostles her playfully while the rest of the staff pretend not to notice. They've gotten more comfortable with intimacy in front of the others, which Emily is surprised to find she enjoys. Still it's best to keep it professional to a degree, so she breaks off to organize her teams.

“Let's start by getting EMF and Geiger counter readings across the ship. Send someone up to the bridge to start searching through things there, and another person head down to crew quarters sound good?”

There are various nods of assent as the science team files out. Emily catches Jesse smiling at her.

“What?”

Jesse shakes her head. “It's just nice to see you taking charge, being confident and all. It suits you.”

Emily feels a warm glow in her chest. “Thanks Jesse.” She sneaks a quick kiss on the cheek before following the research team.

***

Upon a more thorough survey of the ship, a number of things are uncovered. First, the ship isn't moving, at all. There is no drift in it's position and it appears unaffected by currents or waves. The second is that the tanks on board that would normally carry oil are filled with some sort of viscous amber liquid, in which float small bones of no discernible species known. When Emily shines a light into the tank, it's as if the liquid swallows up any light that shines on it. She has the science team take a sample, but very carefully.

As Emily works, Jesse sets up a mobile command center on deck and starts getting on calls back to the Bureau. They haven't detected any radio interference, and she's able to link up to Arish and get status reports. The work proceeds relatively uninterrupted, and Emily is starting to wonder if they got off easy, when one of the techs comes running up to her.

“Ma'am, there's something you should see. On the bridge.”

Her immediate reaction is fear, but the messenger doesn't seem alarmed or hurried, so she spares a last glace at the latest field chem tests they've been running, and follows. The corridors and bulkheads of the ship seem to press in on them as they make their way up towards the bridge. Emily takes note of the creaking and groaning to be expected in an old ship, and not for the first time wonders if there's a pattern in it. She makes another mental note to get some recordings.

At last they make their way to the bridge, and Emily sees immediately what the 'problem' is. Floating in the middle of the room, hanging on a string as if from an invisible hook, is what appears to be an old fashioned maritime compass. As she gets closer, she can see it's spinning rapidly in it's housing, the needle itself little more than a blur.

“It wasn't like this when we were here before” the scientist elaborates, stepping into the room behind her. “Brenner found it in a drawer by the helm, and as soon as he opened it it started levitating like this.”

“Get the Director up here.” The compass looks fairly mundane, but Emily knows better than to trust appearances. “She needs to see this.”

Less than a minute later, Jesse appears in the doorway “What is it? An Altered Item?”

Emily glances up from her furious note taking with a smile. “We don't know yet. It could be just another facet of the AWE, but I thought you should see it regardless.”

Jesse circles around the compass, examining it from all sides. It doesn't seem to react to her presence. Experimentally, she reaches out her hands, as if to cleanse it or bind it too her. Emily starts forward.

“Jesse, you might want to-” but her words are cut off as the ship suddenly lurches sideways. Emily collides with a bulkhead as Jesse's outstretched hands brush against the compass, which falls limply into her palms.

“What the hell?” Jesse asks frantically, “Emily, are you ok?”

“I'm fine.” She doesn't feel fine, she's pretty sure she's bleeding from her head, and her left shoulder is definitely bruised. All things considered though she feels pretty lucky, and there are more important things to be worrying about anyway.

As she regains her balance, she takes inventory of what is going on. The seismograph by the door is lit up like a christmas tree, and the actual bridge instruments, dormant until now, have sprung to life. As she stands up shakily, a toppled over canister rolls slowly across the deck towards her. That's when she realizes the boat is tilting.

“Uhm Emily?” Jesse asks apprehensively as the boat tilts and groans underneath them.

“I know.” Emily drags her mind into focus, trying to figure out whats going on. “We need to move.”

The rest of the agents on the bridge start filing out at her suggestion. Jesse moves as Emily starts gathering up her instruments.

“Emily!” Jesse's voice is sharp with worry as the ship groans and lurches again “Leave it! We need to go!”

As they make their way frantically through the tilting corridors Jesse shouts into her radio. “Fade here, What the hell is happening?!”

A crackly voice responds. “The boat appears to be sinking ma'am, it's disintegrating around us. Also we're reading shifts in our positioning data. The boat is shifting. We need to leave before it bashes us to pieces.”

Emily remembers her emergency preparation from field training, but at the thought of being on a sinking ship, her blood runs cold. She's seen titanic, and isn't keen to find out how cold the water is. Hopefully the other agents below decks managed to get out in time.

“It's ok Emily,” Jesse squeezes her hand. She hadn't even noticed they'd been holding each other. “We'll be ok. I've got you.”

Emily squeezes back as they come to door that's been jammed shut by debris. Without missing a beat, Jesse tears it off it's hinges and they keep going, joining other evacuating agents as they near the door to the outside deck. The walls groan and press in, and Emily imagines they are closing in on them as they run. Finally Jesse throws the outside door off and they emerge into the light. Here it's even more obvious that the ship is sinking.

“Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!” Jesse shouts, waving the remaining agents off the boat a onto their smaller vessel. Some are carrying equipment, but few have had time to grab much more than a clipboard. Some small part of Emily's brain bemoans the paperwork she'll have to fill out for all the lost equipment.

Finally agents stop emerging from below decks, and Jesse confirms on the radio that they're the last ones out. She motions for Emily to cross to the other boat, and Emily makes her way across the ramp. She's almost to the other side when the tanker lurches violently again, slamming into the other vessel and knocking the ramp out from under her feet. For a moment, she's only aware of Jesse's anguished scream. Then she falls.

The boat is a big one, but it's nevertheless not a long way to the icy ocean, all things considered. The AWE must include some sort of time dilation, because Emily is conscious of every second. She braces for the end, wondering dimly whether it will be the impact with the water, the cold, or the shifting hulls that will finish her off. She prepares for the last experiment she'll ever run.

And then Jesse is beside her, grabbing a hold of her as she falls. She pulls Emily into her arms as she strains to level out of her dive.

“It's ok, I've got you love, I've got you.” She murmurs, as Emily grips her for dear life. “You're safe now.”

After an eternity, Jesse touches down on the deck of their commandeered boat.

“Go!” she screams at the driver, who doesn't need telling twice. He guns the motor and they book it across the waves.

Emily, just regaining the feeling that she might not be about to die, is deposited gently on the deck as Jesse's legs finally give out from under her. She sinks to the deck with a strangled sound, and it takes Emily a second to realize she's crying. Jesse gathers Emily into the tightest hug she's ever received, and weeps softly into her shoulder.

“I thought I'd lost you.” She finally gets out, fingers digging into Emily's shirt, all thought of workplace propriety forgotten. Now it's Emily's turn to soothe her as they rock gently together.

“I'm right here Jesse, I'm right here, and I love you.” She doesn't even question the words, because fuck it, they're true and she loves this woman.

“Love you too.” Jesse murmurs back, “Just don't do that again ok?”

“I promise.” Emily replies, and gradually both of them come back to their surroundings. The boat rocks gently as the sinking tanker drops behind them. Emily keeps her arms around Jesse. She's not sure she'll ever let go again.

***

Jesse stays close by Emily as they take stock of their losses. Everyone made it off the ship, although several agents are sporting bruises, and a couple concussions. They lost a lot of equipment though, and Emily laments all of the data they won't be able to go over in detail. The data they have salvaged paints an interesting picture, and Emily is sure she'll be going after it for days. Jesse is quiet as they debrief and begin the journey home. Eventually, as night falls on the ocean, Emily climbs down the stairs below decks to the bunk she shares with Jess. She finds her girlfriend already sitting on the bed, head in her arms.

“Hey there.” she says softly. Jesse looks up at her. There are tears streaking her face. “Hey dear, what's wrong?”

“Oh, I'm fine.” She sniffs. Emily raises her eyebrows skeptically. “Ok maybe I'm not fine, I just-” she stops, more tears flowing down her face.

Emily sits down on the bed, brushing a strand of damp hair from Jesse's face. “Tell me.”

Jesse takes a deep breath. “I was just thinking, I could have gotten you killed back there. You could have died, and all because I was reckless and too curious.” She takes the compass from her pocket, looking at it pensively. “All for this. This piece of Junk.”

Emily, resisting the urge to examine a new scientific sample, sits down on the bed next to Jesse. She reaches up and wraps her arm around Jesse, rubbing her back.

“Everybody makes mistakes in the field, and you have had an impressively clean track record. The truth is,” She pauses, Jesse looks up. “The truth is that we all go into this job knowing it's dangerous, especially in the field. That's why we have each other's backs and try to learn from our fuck ups. You fucked up a little bit, but any one of us could have made that mistake, and let's not forget you also saved me.” She takes Jesse's hands in her own, the compass forgotten on the bed. “You saved all of us. And I think you're still a great director.”

Jesse blinks, then leans in and fully hugs Emily before kissing her.

“You always know just what to say.” She murmurs softly. “Thanks.”

“Of course Love.” Jesse hums contentedly at the word. Emily continues. “Also, you're not the only one to make mistakes on the job. My second week of work, I caused the Bureau's third only building wide evacuation, and scorched the eyebrows off of everyone in Research.”

Jesse stifles a laugh, and Emily smiles. “Besides, how can I be upset with you when you brought back such a lovely specimen to study.” She motions to the compass.

“There's my little mad scientist.”

Emily shoves her playfully. “ What can I say? I'm a sucker for research. Speaking of...” She looks meaningfully at the bed, a coy smile on her face.

Jesse's eyes widen, and she nods earnestly. “I think we've both earned the right to some hypothesis testing'.”

As Jesse locks the door to their cabin and starts loosening the buttons on her shirt, Emily thinks that maybe she is cut out for field work after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! This one probably had the most original stuff in it, as I had to guess at Bureau Field procedures. It also has a Emily doing the Science a bit more, and them both learning how to work together. 
> 
> As for the compass/McGuffin, even I don't know what it does. If this story tickled your imagination, I encourage you to make up your own theories about it's use. Maybe even write a fic about it! 
> 
> Do send it to me if you do though, I'm always up for more control content ;)


End file.
